The problem with this argument is that KOF basically swept at least 13 years of potential character aging under the rug to keep everyone at around the same age they would've been in 1994 forever. Characters like Kyo, Athena and Kensou should realistically all be in their early 30's by this point, and they certainly don't look it, meaning Rock is the one guy in the series that's inexplicably aged on-screen. So you're right, the problem is that KOF is wrong. Fighting game stories are great.
Street Fighter kind of has this issue, but they do try to age hp the characters. The problem is SF3 did poorly at launch, and even though it's beloved in retrospect Capcom still relies on SF2 nostalgia. Meaning they have to wait until that stops working before they can actually do SF3 or anything like it again (meaning they have to be glacial when it comes to advancement). SF6 being set after 3 actually surprised me, and even then they still put all of the WWs in before any SF3 characters
You say that like that wasn't something that was present from the very beginning in KoF 94, with the Art of Fighting cast looking the exact same despite their series taking place 10 years before Fatal Fury.
I stopped giving attention to how the characters are supposed to age after 2000 (which was the last game they were advancing some of the ages), 2001 and forward it just goes all over the place. Way i see it, it's mostly fue how they were more concerned with doing some fan service nods to the other SNK games rather than thinking of consistency. Hopefully, at the very least, they'll keep it more consistent with the new Garou.
The thing is KoF is really bad with aging characters, mainly because they don't. SNK is scared of losing its fans, so it relies on nostalgia by never aging the characters (hence why AoF and FF characters never change, why Kyo is still in high school, etc). Street Fighter has this problem, but at least Capcom actually does try to age up the characters and move the story forward (even if it's glacially slow because they're scared of another 1997).
I always just assumed the FF/KOF timelines and cannon were separate so I never gave this much thought. But that doesn't stop this video from being very amusing and informative! Great video, John!
Didn't KOF XIII confirm that he simply drop out due to all the shit Nest did to him and he didn't bother finishing what litte was left, or am I tripping?
@pedroportela6476 I don't know, all I remember is Kyo saying he wouldn't be caught dead willingly wearing his uniform when going against Athena in Arcade Mode.
But what about Kim's sons being still kids in KOF 13's ending? Or Hotaru having her Garou age in KOF 11? Or literally every other character still having the same age since '95 lol Not to mention that KOF stories don't exactly say what year they happen in-canon. They always refer to them like "this year's KOF" or just "the new KOF tourney".
Hotaru is debatably even canon in KOF XI since she's a NGBC port. Either way KOF XI would only be 2 years before Garou so it's not a massive stretch to suggest she looks the same. Kim's sons are just another instance of KOF being wrong like Rock in 01 and 03. This video is meant to show that if you apply any kind of logic to KOF's timeline, it makes sense for Rock to be the age he is in KOF XV. They are purposefully vague about the year of each tournament now, but unless KOF XI - XV take place within the same year or so Rock's Garou look still makes sense.
I see your argument but thing is, some KOF characters use modern looking smartphones in XIV/XV so it's definitely taking place in the 2010s. I'd say the kid just grew up and the devs probably didn't think much about it
I also think Shun Ei saga is around 2011 at the earliest, it was just for the sake of arguement that I said even at the earliest possible date they could take place in the timeline Rock's look makes sense
i just take it that there's a lot of KOF that didnt make it into a game. those KOF are where Antonov win multiple times. Those KOF didnt get a lot of participants because nobody big like sacred treasure team and fatal fury team come so it demotivated other team to also not come to the tournament, letting Antonov easy win in those tournament. Also Antonov need his own wrestling games where he fight with all grapplers
me and friends we think is it altentive universes. in kof approximately ryo & terry at the same age but in F.F and AOF geese older than ryo just by bye 4 years "geese 1953| ryo 1957" so terry was were even younger than youri in that world..
Yeah same tbh. Other forms of fiction such as comic books use them as well so I’m used to them being a thing. That and I was also just happy to see Rock be canon in KOF.
SNK has stated that KOF takes place during the prime of the characters in the game. This is why AOF characters aren't 10 years older than the FF ones in KOF. Using that logic it's makes sense to have MOTW characters from 10 years in the future from FF be in KOF. So basically KOF is in it's own pocket reality where no characters age, that allow other IPs to enter as needed.
The problem is the statements "characters don't age" and "It's been a long time since the last KOF" can't really coexist. The longer SNK completely ignores the passage of time in-universe the harder it's going to be to take the story seriously (Which apparently we should, since XV was advertised as an epic end to the Shun Ei saga)
@@JohnSexDDPersonally, I flat out don't take the KoF game's stories seriously at all, SNK doesn't seem to with how all over the place elements of it are, the vague passage of time being one of them. Fatal Fury is the series I don't mind taking more seriously story-wise, It's always been more consistent than KoF in writing.
The canon lore has been broken since KOF 2003, the Maximum Impact Saga should've went before the Tales of Ash Saga. Well the problem with Rock... He was a kid in the NESTS Saga, but appears to be in his Garou-prime in KOF 2006 just so he can be playable.
@@JohnSexDD M.I. shouldn't be non-canon, it didn't need to be another Street Fighter EX. Maximum Impact is a better way to keep the series long-running, under the titles: • KOF 2003 (Neowave) • KOF 2004 (M.I.1.) • KOF 2005 (M.I.2.) • KOF 2006 (M.I. Regulation "A") • KOF 2007 (M.I. Regulation "A2") • KOF 2008 (X, where the Ash Saga should've started.) • KOF 2009 (XI) • KOF 2010 (XII) • KOF 2011 (XIII) • KOF 2012 (XIV, the start of the Shun'ei Saga.) • KOF 2013 (XV) • Etcetera
I didn’t get it considering 2000 had the zero beam destroy Southtown. Which was hinted at in garou and why it’s was based in second south instead. So it fit… I didn’t get it. Besides the fact that geese, kraizer, and even character that were shown to be dead like vice and mature keep returning to kof (where is foxy and all kulas friends?) kof clearly doesn’t care and with shunei dimensional spirit unleash magic bringing back everyone (hence ashes return) this is a get out of jail free card. There are several ways to disarm the rock can’t be canon argument.
Rock didn't break the canon, because every KOF member barely ages. But I'll tell you what truly messed up the whole franchise: *The King of Fighters 2003* (because that game was developed and released in the wrong year.) SNK should've postponed that sequel and focused on the 4 games of the *Maximum Impact Saga* first with the 3D graphics, and then start on the 4 games of the *Tales of Ash Saga* next with the fluid and highly-detailed graphics.
To be honest it makes Ryo and Terry look bad...imagine not winning a single tournament even when you are at the Garou age and Ryo being Mr.karate 2 as well...i hate KOF timeline.
It actually makes more sense for AOF and Fatal Fury to be in the same canon as KOF as they heavily references the events of all those games. Time for SNK to rethink the separate timeline approach.
